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Bhakti Yoga-Devotional Service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna

Bhakti Yoga-Devotional Service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna
Gopis performing Devotional Service to the Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krishna

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Three kinds of happinesses

Prabhupada: Yes. Three kinds of happinesses, bhoga, tyaga, and bhakti, seva. Bhoga tyaga seva. The karmis, they are after bhoga, sense enjoyment. And the jnanis, they are after another side of negation of sense enjoyment. When one is fed up with sense enjoyment... Just like in your country, the young boys, they are practically fed up with the way of sense enjoyment as their fathers and grandfathers had done. So in the name of tyaga, renunciation, they have taken another kind of sense enjoyment -- intoxication, unrestricted sex. So this is also another sense enjoyment. Bhoga and tyaga. Real enjoyment is devotion. There is a very practical example. Just like if you get all of a sudden a certain amount of money, say, one hundred rupees note lying on the street, if you get... Or lying here. So if you take it, your conscience will beat, because that does not belong to you. You have picked up. You'll always think, "Oh, I am taking somebody's money. Whose money it was? I'm doing some sinful." In this way, your mind will disturb. So that is the taking. And similarly, if you don't take, if you leave it there, then you'll also be disturbed. You'll think, "Somebody has left this money here. So I did not collect it. Somebody will collect it, and he'll take it away. This is not nice." The best thing is that you pick it up and, if you deliver to the person who has lost the money or who has left that money. Three things. The one thing is bhoga, if you take yourself. And if you don't take, that is tyaga. And if you pick it up and deliver to the right person, that is devotion.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => The Nectar of Devotion -- Calcutta, January 29, 1973 


--
Best Regards,
Dinesh


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Six Symptoms of Surrender to Sri Hari

Six Symptoms of Surrender to Sri Hari
(Jaiva Dharma, Ch. 6, pp. 121-22)

1) anukulyasya sankalpa – doing only what is favorable for unalloyed bhakti.
2) pratikulyasya varjanam – rejecting everything unfavorable for unalloyed bhakti.
3) raksisyatiti visvaso – having faith that only Bhagavan is one's protector.
4) goptrtve varjanam – accepting Bhagavan as one's only maintainer.
5) atma-niksepa – complete submission of oneself.
6) karpanye – feeling meek, humble, insignificant, wretched, materially destitute, etc.


--
Best Regards,
Dinesh


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****Advantages of Being a Krishna Devotee


****Advantages of Being a Krishna Devotee**** (^_^) Devotee of god
(Believer)

1. You will always be sure more confident that Krishna will protect you
Always.
2. No matter how much fallen you are, Spiritual master will never leave you
3. Don't worry about depression, Krishna kirtans are immediate reliefs
4. you don't need to get scared of anyone or anything, our superhero is in
always charge to rescue us by just one call in return for love.
5. You are never ever gonna be alone.24/7 365/366days he is in charge of
taking care of us perfectly any time anywhere.Eternal Companion
6. We are servants of the lord, But Krishna treats you as VIPS.He will
never bear an insult against his surrendered souls. He used his sudarshana(
DISC) weapon most powerful just for his devotee who was tested by a sage.
7.The most beautiful part is knowing you have an eternal mother and father.
that's sounds great isn't it?
8.Krishna is your True eternal Husband, Friend, Father, Child. Mother and
Everything you need him to be.
9. He crosses limits just for your love.
10. He has everything still accepts one handful of Flattened rice.
11. You will never be Disappointed.
12. You do a little service he considers it has the greatest of all
13. The one who always want you be happy.
14. You don't need a net, mobile, currency, Satellite, or not even you need
to walk along for a temple .you can speak to him at any instance. He
resides inside of your heart, Before you think he is there within you and
within everyone even The animals bees ants all the species.
15. The merciful mother.
23. You have a magic world, you can fly play with Krishna.
24. You will never lose any of you friends in that magical world
25. All are equally highly intelligent. Even trees grants your wishes
26. Knowing you are a soul, a soul cant be burnt, killed, hurt, No discrimination, no religion, no fights, all are beautiful. The only differentiation you can make out is Knowledge. Whoa!
27. Your Father is the creator, King of scientist. Lord of Brahma, Lord of Shiva, Father of jesus, father of 32crores of demigods. King of Scientist,
he makes no discoveries but creates. Your father has all magical powers.True hero of all the time.
28. You can know the truth behind your birth, Secret behind the death
That's a surprise.
29. All you need to do is chant his names sing, eat delicious prasadham
(food offered to him with love)roam around all the temple Around the globe
enjoy the nature,Dance.
Swim in Rivers. Spend a happy life finally love him more Enter the magical
eternal World called Vaikunta.
30. The one who accepts Leaf, flower, fruits, Pure water, As an offering
filled with true love.
31. You will be never bored.
32. Lord of death will be scared to come near you, Krishna will send his
personal managers to bring you back home
33.Good news is you will be never betrayed, cheated for trusting him loving
him more.
34. You will lose Many things by chanting his name! Anger, ego, lust, bad
habits, Selfishness, Loneliness, Fear Etc etc.
35. He promises to give you Knowledge about him if you just will for it.
36. He is ready to accept you the way you are.
37. You don't need to a hindu, muslim , christian, rich, powerful,
beautiful. All you need is love for him a will to understand Him.
38. Krishna is always thinking about you. Just turn back to Lord
39. He Protected Gajendra an Elephant. So he is merciful accepts devotion
in any case. You dont need human too. He is impartial excepts no money gold
valuables, The one quality is Chant call his name with love!
40. Give him love get back Unlimited.

There is countless happiness. These are Just a trailer. Welcome to our happy world you will be never sad for being a devotee surrendered soul.


Courtesy : Shyam Dasi



--
Best Regards,
Dinesh


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Falling into a blind well full of snakes

By associating with material desires one after another, I was following the general populace by falling into a blind well full of snakes.

--
Best Regards,
Dinesh


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Instant gratification & instant suffering


Instant noodles, instant coffee everything we need instantly in today's fast moving world. And finally what's the end result? Instant karmic reaction which is only multiplying the pain that we already have. People who are thoughtful can understand the defect of material sense gratification. We want to enjoy our senses right now & get pleasure. But the material nature won't allow us to do so beyond a limit. The more we try to enjoy the senses, the more we suffer. That's how this world is designed. 

A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires-that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still-can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.

Bhagavad Gita#2.7


--
Best Regards,
Dinesh


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Humility and love of God

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Untitled Lecture)
pancatattva1
The quality of humility and the quality of being able to develop love of God come together. It is not possible to develop love of God if there is no humility in our hearts. A person who is proud, how can he hear!? His ears are blocked because he is overwhelmed by his own ideas that he cannot even hear what everyone else says. But if one is humble, then one can think, ‘Yes, I need mercy.’
So a humble personality is eager to hear and being eager to hear from superior personalities also brings about special dynamics. When people are eager to hear then the mature vaisnava who speaks opens up his heart. He will automatically, by the eagerness of the audience, become very enthusiastic and he will find that there are so many realizations in his heart that he did not even know he had! Because in the relationship between vaisnavas, the mood is very intimate and close and one of deep friendship; a mood of acceptance. An envious person cannot accept.
An envious person will always find some reason not to accept others, he will always find some quality that is not allowed, something wrong, ‘You can’t sit like that, you can’t look like that, you can’t speak like that…’ and so on and so on. Just on some external feature, an envious person will reject. Basically anyone who is not supporting them, adoring them, recognizing their greatness – such persons are undesirable.
So humility is the quality where one is ready to see good in others and recognizes that everyone can make a contribution which can be appreciated. So amongst vaisnavas there is an atmosphere of appreciation.

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Are you not controlled by God if you are an athiest?


What if you are an athiest & don't believe in God & His words? Are you not controlled by God if you become athiest?

The answer is 3 modes of material nature. The modes of goodness, passion and ignorance drive those who don't take shelter of the Lord. What we consider as our thoughts, likes, gut feelings, desires that are arising out of our mind are a reflection of the combination of the modes of nature we are associating with. So it's not us but the provocation of the modes within us. We don't have to react to these provocation.

Mind predominantly reflects the modes that we into. These modes are binding us and covering our real need & love. All the emotions in relationships, attachment to people places things are all from these dirty modes. So in any case we are controlled either by the Lord directly or indirectly by His material nature.

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Seeds of sinful desire arising from material association

Rising like waves from material association, these bad effects mass into a great ocean of misery.

PURPORT

The deluding potency, māyā, is the Lord's own energy and can thus overcome even a powerful sage. As Lord Kapila declares, "Among all kinds of living entities begotten by Brahmā, namely men, demigods, and animals, none but the sage Nārāyaṇa is immune to the attraction of māyā in the form of a woman" (Bhāg. 3.31.37). One should not flirt with māyā, thinking that one can transgress a little and then pull back later if it gets too rough. Until we are completely liberated we maintain seeds of destruction within us, and we should not allow them to grow by bad association.

Once Śrīla Prabhupāda learned that some of his initiated disciples had indulged in their former habits of smoking marijuana. Prabhupāda said that this was due to bad association, and he gave the example of bedbugs. During winter, bedbugs seem to disappear from your bed, but in due time they emerge and again bite you and grow fat on your blood. Similarly, a transcendentalist's kāma may seem to be entirely subdued, but it is actually present in a very reduced state. If given a fresh opportunity, his material desires will strike again. On another occasion, Śrīla Prabhupāda referred to "hippy seeds." Having noticed one of his brahmacārī disciples with long hair, he said the disciple's old hippy tendencies were now sprouting in the form of long hair.

So it is good to be afraid of even a little bad association and avoid it at all costs. But one may question whether this attitude is at odds with the compassionate mood of the preacher. If the preacher associates with materialists, won't he become like them? The answer is that a preacher must be strong in his Kṛṣṇaconsciousness to prevent becoming contaminated. If he follows the rules and regulations of bhakti-yoga — including association with devotees, chanting and hearing the Lord's glories, avoiding sense gratification, and so on — then he will be able to preach without falling down. Acting as the spiritual master of Lord CaitanyaĪśvara Purī gave him instructions that in truth are directed at us: "My dear child, continue dancing, chanting, and performing sańkīrtana in association with devotees. Furthermore, go out and preach the value of chanting kṛṣṇa-nāma, for by this process You will be able to deliver all fallen souls" (Cc. Ādi 7.92). Similarly, Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed his disciples to be compassionate preachers:

One who is not very expert in preaching may chant in a secluded place, avoiding bad association, but for one who is actually advanced, preaching and meeting people who are not engaged in devotional service are not disadvantages. A devotee gives the nondevotees his association but is not affected by their misbehavior. Thus by the activities of a pure devotee even those who are bereft of love of Godhead get a chance to become devotees of the Lord one day. [Cc. Ādi 7.92, purport]

Śrīla Prabhupāda sometimes told the following story to illustrate how one may mix with nondevotees and yet keep one's devotional integrity:

Once a crocodile invited a monkey in a tree to come and ride on his back. The foolish monkey jumped down from the tree and soon found himself clinging to the crocodile's back in the middle of the river.

The monkey asked the crocodile, "Where are we going?"

The crocodile replied, "I'm going to take you home, where my wife will cut out your heart and we will eat you for lunch!"

The monkey replied, "But I left my heart back on shore in the tree. Will you please let me get it?"

The crocodile thought this was a good proposal and allowed the monkey to touch shore. But the monkey jumped into his tree and refused to accept further invitations from the crocodile.

The moral of this story: You may associate with the nondevotee, but don't give him your heart.

Preachers living in ISKCON temples follow this advice daily. They rise early and gather for mańgala-ārati before the temple Deities, chant kīrtana and japa, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class, and honor prasādam in the association of devotees. Strengthened by this morning program, they go out to preach in the most materialistic places in the world, offering people a chance to receive Kṛṣṇa's mercy in the form of literature, prasādam, or hari-nāma. In the early evening the preachers return to the temple for more chanting and hearing. While they are with the nondevotees, they do not compromise their devotional principles, and thus they keep their hearts aloof from the modes of material nature and bad association.

Of course, if a preacher finds himself being overwhelmed by the material energy, he should save himself instead of allowing māyāto swallow him up while he's trying to save others. But Nārada's advice against bad association does not mean that those who are strong enough to preach should not approach the Jagāis and Mādhāis of this world and humbly offer them the holy name and transcendental literature. If devotees don't approach them, how will the fools and rascals be saved?


- Srila Prabhupada
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Sometimes he laughs, sometimes he weeps, sometimes he cries out very loudly, sometimes he sings, and sometimes he dances

NBS:6
One who understands perfectly the process of devotional service in love of Godhead becomes intoxicated in its discharge. Sometimes he becomes stunned in ecstasy and thus enjoys his whole self, being engaged in the service of the Supreme Self.

Purport :
How one becomes intoxicated in devotional service is very nicely described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.40):
evaḿ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā
jātānurāgo druta-citta uccaiḥ
hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty
unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhyaḥ
"A person engaged in the devotional service of the Lord in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness automatically becomes carried away by ecstasy when he chants and hears the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. His heart becomes slackened while chanting the holy name, he becomes almost like a madman, and he does not care for any outward social conventions. Thus sometimes he laughs, sometimes he weeps, sometimes he cries out very loudly, sometimes he sings, and sometimes he dances and forgets himself." These are the signs of becoming intoxicated in devotional service. This stage, called the ātmārāma stage, is possible when the Lord bestows His mercy upon a devotee for his advanced devotional activity. It is the highest perfectional stage because one cannot reach it unless one has attained pure love of God.
Neither formal religious rituals, economic development, sense gratification, nor liberation can compare with this sweet stage of perfection of love of Kṛṣṇa, love of the Supreme Lord. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi-līlā 7.97) describes this stage of ecstasy and intoxication as being far above the ecstasy of realizing oneself as Brahman, or the supreme spirit. Lord Caitanya says that the ecstasy of bhakti (love of Godhead) is so vast that it is like an ocean compared to the drop of pleasure derived from understanding oneself as one with Brahman. In all Vedic literature, the highest perfectional stage is said to be the state of intoxication of devotional service. It is not achieved by ordinary persons, the nondevotees.
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We had to suffer such miseries as living in a womb

MM 47: What person, even if most sinful, has ever said aloud the blessed name Narayana and failed to fulfill his desires? But we, alas, never used our power of speech in that way, and so we had to suffer such miseries as living in a womb.
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The magic jewel

MM 30: He is the jewel riding on the back of Garuda, who carries away the Lord's devotees on his wings. He is the magic jewel protecting the three worlds, the jewellike cloud attracting the cataka-bird eyes of the gopis, and the jewel among all who gesture gracefully. He is the only jeweled ornament on the ample breasts of Queen Rukmini, who is herself the jewel of beloved consorts. May that crown jewel of all gods, the best of the cowherds, grant us the supreme benediction.
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Are men regarded as superior to women?

There's a number of quotes from acharyas, you can find which is supporting your own view. If you are feminist, you can see quotes that are supportive to your views and if you are anti-feminist you can see the quotes that fits your perspective. If you put a red glass everything you see appears red. It's easy to manipulate the quotes of Acharyas in one angle and conclude biased opinions.

Woman reporter: What about women who do not have children?

Prabhupada: Well, that is also another unnatural thing. Sometimes they use contraceptives. They kill children, abortion. That is also not very good. These are all sinful activities. These are sinful activities, to kill child in the womb.

Prabhupada: Yes, that is a fact. In the history there is no woman who is a big philosopher, a big mathematician, big scientist, big educationist. We don’t find. They were all men.

Disciple: Women’s liberation has become successful because man is now the servant of woman.

Prabhupada: It is not successful. That I was pointing out. It has caused the disaster because the whole women become dependent on the welfare gift of the government, and the government has to raise tax heavily for this purpose. The tax is given by the general public, but it is going for one individual person, and I have heard that government is embarrassed.

Prabhupada: By nature’s way, if the husband takes care of the wife and children, this problem is solved immediately. But the man takes advantage. He goes away after making the woman pregnant. And the woman is embarrassed and the government is embarrassed.

Disciple: And the child grows up to be a criminal.

Prabhupada: Yes.

(Television interview with Srila Prabhupada, July 9, 1975, Chicago)

Reporter: Are men regarded as superior to women?
Prabhupada: Yes, naturally. Naturally, woman requires protection by the man. In the childhood she is protected by the father, and youth time she is protected by the husband, and old age she is protected by elderly sons. That is natural.
Female Reporter: That goes against the thinking of a lot of people in America now. Do you know that?
Prabhupada: No… America, maybe, but this is the natural position. Women require protection.
Female Reporter: Who decides who’s natural? And what’s natural?
Prabhupada: Natural means just like in psychology it is said that woman, the highest brain substance of woman is thirty-six ounce, whereas the highest brain substance of man is sixty-four ounce. So there is difference by nature, of the brain.

(News Interview with Srila Prabhupada, March 5, 1975, New York)
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Please grant me a place on the boat of devotion that is Your lotus feet.

MM 13: O Lord of the three worlds, we are drowning in the vast ocean of samsara, which is filled with the waters of material hankering, with many waves of illusion whipped up by the winds of lust, with whirlpools of wives, and with vast schools of sharks and other sea monsters who are our sons and brothers. O giver of all benedictions, please grant me a place on the boat of devotion that is Your lotus feet.
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Prayer time!



MM 4: O Lord Hari, it is not to be saved from the dualities of material existence or the grim tribulations of the Kumbhipaka hell that I pray to Your lotus feet. Nor is my purpose to enjoy the soft-skinned beautiful women who reside in the gardens of heaven. I pray to Your lotus feet only so that I may remember You alone in the core of my heart, birth after birth.


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Feminist propaganda in ISKCON

Statistics by psychologists in UK among University students show that men & women can't be closely associating as friends & they usually end up having some attraction/intimate relationships.

There's been a lot of discussion of women becoming Diksha guru in our society. While there are some qualified devotee ladies who are transcendental and beyond bodily distinctions, it's not something which is easy for all future devotee ladies of our society. 

Sri sampradaya has Lakshmi devi as the foremost guru in the line of succession but She is the Universal Mother and not all women can be compared with Her or take Her position. Same can be argued over and over, again and again by referring the wives of Pancha Tattva. But they are not ordinary souls but expansions of Lakshmi devi. 

There's increasing Feminist leaders in ISKCON which is leading our society nowhere. Lots of groups siding with feminist on one side and with other extremism on the other side like women should not work outside, study etc. Feminist leaders harass men in different ways and make an unnatural society with boosted ego which is detrimental for the society. People as leaders who mislead the society to hell have more karma than those who mislead a family.

Exemplary women may preach to other women but coming outside to preach separately for men in private is not very good for them & is sure to cause many disasters as we have seen in the past in our society among even Sannyasis who have fallen prey to the weapons of maya. All these candidates who fell down were assessed and monitored for years before they got Sannyasa. Some very senior devotee Matajis older than 50/55 may be qualified but that's not the only standard for the diksha guru future of our society. What's the problem in women being siksha guru mothers who guide our society in the proper path? There are some qualities of women which will usually be there among women for the most part which is explained by Chanakya Pandit. Only those who are liberated from the modes of nature can be freed from such lowly qualities which are natural for women. Future of our society will be chaos, if this funny thing approved by the authority.






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Transcendental Vaccination

"To get vaccination from the sense gratification is to absorb in transcendental ecstasy. To do that we need to have a strong desire. In a few days, months, years, if you are determined and if somehow you could convince Lord Nithyananda, "I don't have any other desire but to get back to You. You should please give me that little drop of mercy."

For Lord Nithyananda prabhu is very merciful. He doesn't see whether a person is qualified or not qualified. He is very liberal in giving that mercy. If someone has a desire for the mercy, then Lord Nithyananda is known to give. So it is very promising if we put our faith in Lord Nithyananda. If we put our aspirations at His Lotus Feet for that mercy, and if we get that, after that it is smooth sailing. Material happiness seem very insignificant.

All we need to do is avoid association with materialists, who bring us into a clouded condition where we forget our spiritual perspective and start acting mechanically on the material platform. We have to avoid that type of situation, continue engaging in devotional service with that little drop of nectar. That is what all devotees pray for. 'Kripa bindu Diya'- Give me that drop of mercy – that drop of mercy, which is the mercy of Lord Nithyananda.

HH Jayapataka Swami
From the book: Vaishnava Vani
Courtesy: Mathuradesh
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Reversals teach you lessons!

Reversals teach you lessons!


When we get hit hard in many directions repeatedly for long enough period, we tend to always see no hope or way out due to the usual trend of going  deep down. But there are times when things change and neither situation is permanent so why worry?

It's dualities, so things will change and alternate between good and bad, beautiful and ugly, kind and mean, friends and enemies, good health and disease, winter and summer, wealthy and poor, sane and insane and so on which is an endless list. How long we Identify ourselves with the situations and the dualities depends on how much we realize when we go through these extremes and one day we will understand that we have nothing to do here with what's happening in this world but to look internally and be self satisfied.

"O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.

The difficulties usually arise from having to sever family relationships, to give up the connection of wife and children. But if anyone is able to tolerate such difficulties, surely his path to spiritual realization is complete. Similarly, in Arjuna's discharge of duties as a kṣatriya, he is advised to persevere, even if it is difficult to fight with his family members or similarly beloved persons. Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four, and His dependents, young wife as well as old mother, had no one else to look after them. Yet for a higher cause He took sannyāsaand was steady in the discharge of higher duties. That is the way of achieving liberation from material bondage."

-Bhagavad Gita 2.15

"O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed."

- Bhagavad Gita 2.14




Best Regards
Dinesh

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Disorder has invaded all our relations

Extracted from an article "With Krsna in the Peaceable Kıngdom"

By Ravindra Svarupa Das

The material body of every living being is animated by a spiritual soul, who is the eternal offspring of Krsna. Each souls individual history of good or bad deeds causes him to become fastened into a higher or lower body, yet all souls remain in essence equal as children of God. God never forgets them, and a godly person, Krsna tells us, sees all animate beings as spritually equal sparks of the divine (Bg.5.18).

But if we forgt God and consequently develop eclipsed material vision, the transcen- dental unity of the eludes us. Once we have become estranged from Krsna, we become estranged from all other living beings-even those of our own kind. thesymptom of our divorce from God is our inability to sustain peaceful, harmonious, loving realtions with others. We incessantly make war upon our fellow humans, and we wantonly prey upon innocent animals, needlessly slaughtering them for food. At the same time we feel a need to rectify all our reationships—within our own families and communities, among races and nations, and between humans and subhumans.

Yet the disorder that has invaded all our relations is a symptom of one central enduring dislocation—our severance from God. Only when that is repaired will the disruption between ourselves and all other beings be healed. 



Best Regards
Dinesh

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The ungrateful heart is not so great

One time a saint observed a candala walking along the road was sprinkling water on the path to purify before his every step. This was kinda strange and so the saint approached him and asked the reason. The Candala told its sinful to walk along the path where an ungrateful person has walked over. Even a candala feels he gets sin to touch the earth that was walked over by an ungrateful person.

The following is quite impersonal but is ultimately about connecting to the nature and the creator indirectly.

"From The Secret Daily Teachings Mobile App

Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the refrigerator that keeps your food cold, the car that you drive, your job, your friends. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities, services, and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for the magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

May the joy be with you,
Rhonda Byrne"
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Don't use the axe of criticism where the scalpel of correction is needed

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/gNYIzDK1cBA


Best Regards
Dinesh
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50 yrs later!

I happened to think deeply about my existence. If we think about it, we can see how limited our time really is in this body.

"Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world"- BG#5.23


We are drowned into our desires which are like a reflection of our mind. It is this mind which is carrying us to different conceptions of material life as confirmed in the Bhagavad Gita. 

"The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another"- BG#15.8

It's the mind which enjoys pleasure and suffers the pain. 50 yrs later, I won't be in this body nor would my friends or so called relatives who are expansions of this body. Even if some of us make it beyond 50yrs it would be like an invalid body which won't support normal life. If I won't live in this city of nine gates, beyond 50yrs why should I endeavor so much to care this body taking all my lifetime. This world is a perfect jail and unless we develop intense greed to attain Krishna, He could never be bought. Intense greed is the price to develop Bhakti and purchase Krsna.

Srila Rupa Gosvami, wrote, "Pure devotional service in Krishna consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price – that is intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay." (Padyavali 14).

Quote starts:
"Following in the mood of Srila Rupa Gosvami, the Vaisnava saint Srila Narottama das Thakura has explained how any tendency that is an obstruction to our spiritual advancement can be transformed by relating it to Lord Krishna. He specifically describes how the 'six enemies' of lust, anger, greed, illusion, envy and pride can be conquered: "I will engage lust, anger, greed, illusion, envy and pride in their proper places. In this way, I will defeat the enemies and with ecstasy in my heart, I will worship Govinda without difficulty. I will engage my lust in eagerness to serve Krishna and I will use my anger against those who are envious of the devotees.

I will be greedy to hear the topics of Hari in the association of the devotees. I will be illusioned if I fail to achieve my worshipable Lord and I will feel proud to chant the glories of Krishna. In this way, I will engage them in their respective duties." (Prema Bhakti-candrika 2.9-10).

Quote Ends


Look at this, look at that, all are pitfalls trapping me in this world every moment. No use to look anywhere but within to hear the call of my Lord. My own desire to enjoy here is a noose that kills my soul life after life. There's a lot of things that happen in our life which sometimes creates a moral conflict and because of being in dualities it drives us crazy to go nuts and get lost. In the Mahabharata, Bhismadev had a moral conflict when Draupadi was pleading for help as she was disrobed by the Kauravas and so he had a hard time making a decision and couldn't help her. Similarly life throws us into many such situations which makes us feel totally drowned in life of sorrows. 

"O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the Self." -BG#2.45

"Purport: As long as the material body exists, there are actions and reactions in the material modes. One has to learn tolerance in the face of dualities such as happiness and distress, or cold and warmth, and by tolerating such dualities become free from anxieties regarding gain and loss. This transcendental position is achieved in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness when one is fully dependant on the good will of Kṛṣṇa"

There's no use to waste time in talking about other people's mistakes or how we were ill treated or how we were not understood, despite our constant efforts to make them understand. In the middle of the ocean, what can you do if there is a storm? Only tolerate and try to see how soon you can get out of the ocean. This material life is such a deep ocean where all of us are trapped. We are running out of time to make a chance to get back home out of this ocean which has got ferocious animals that can eat us alive.


Best Regards
Dinesh

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Direct service or Directed service?

Dependency on Krishna in every situation every time every moment makes the difference. Even at workplace. If we rely totally on our strength - may be our intellect or influence or wealth or words or deeds in every activity, we may get disappointed looking for the positive results all the time. If you take the example of Duryodhana, he was puffed up with his strength because all powerful warriors(who never got defeated in battle) were on his side. He was certain about victory. The pandavas had only limited resources, but their refuge was only Krsna in any circumstance.  Positive or negative outcome, if we are dependent on Krsna we will be free from attachment, fear, anger( BG#4.10- http://vedabase.net/bg/4/10/en1) and that is the way to liberate our conditioned consciousness. We are not changing our activity but the consciousness. Both Pandavas and Kauravas performed the same act of fighting but the cause and consciousness was different. Pandavas also lost their sons and soldiers in the battle. In my personal realization, when my spiritual life (chanting, controlling senses and mind, surrendered humble consciousness ) was better, I was able to tackle the hardest problems at work or at any other situation with less anxiety about results. It's like we associate everything we see in the world with Krsna in order to remember him as we perform our duties.(BG 6.30
http://vedabase.net/bg/6/30/en). Jatayu the bird who fought with Ravana to save mother Sita was a failure in his attempt but ultimately He was recognized by Lord Ram for his service. The Lord even performed his cremation with His own hands which is victory!!!

If we change our world inside, the way the outside world interacts with us will be certainly different. Many devotees have had those realizations even when dealing with outside world, how Krishna reciprocates with us via every person and every situation. Krishna is controlling the wanderings of all the souls in these machines of body life after life by giving them these facilities of body mind senses and material nature according to what they deserve. Not that he is doing all the activities that the soul desires nor is he responsible for the reactions of our actions. He is a facilitator, observer & one who sanctions.(BG#4.14 - http://vedabase.net/bg/4/14/en1)

Varnashrama dharma(assuming we are performing something close to it) is a gradual process to have regulated sense gratification and at the same time performing sacrifices to please the Lord. The ground rule is "Always remember Krsna, Never forget Krsna". This principle overrides all Vedic rituals, any rules and regulations. 

Krishna has given us the resources. Pulling the plug is about changing the consciousness & not the work itself. Currently our consciousness is contaminated by material motivations. The defect of Fruitive work is it makes us loose interest in devotional service. So we should rise above the mentality of Fruitive work(if I do this I will get that, according to Vedic rituals). (BG#2.44 http://www.vedabase.com/en/bg/2/44). 

Direct devotional service will be working for Krsna like building a temple or website or fixing a computer that is being used for His service, spreading His message to the world by preaching, book distribution, Sankirtan, Cooking for Him in full consciousness of Krsna. Amount of faith on the Lord also matters in Bhakti Yoga. I wanted to talk about direct devotional service to clearly discriminate what we are currently doing and where we have to get to. We are not there yet but we are taking every chance to do direct devotional services every now and then in every possible way even now.

For now we will see the facilities we get as His mercy and proceed(which is also a way to remember Him)  Eventually the goal is to attain complete unalloyed love for Him. Currently we don't have love for Him. So now we are practicing to slowly increase our love for God by this process of Bhakti yoga along with our duties of maintenance based on religious principles. Nature of this world is we got to do some work to maintain the body with soul. So we got to do some work anyway regardless of whether we like it or not, regardless of we are devotee or not devotee. There comes a time when we have to plan to reduce our varnashrama duties and increase directly serving the Lord in every way with spontaneous love at our hear. That's the final goal in our life we are all waiting for.....(BG#9.34 http://vedabase.net/bg/9/34/en1


Best Regards
Dinesh

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Lawyer lawbook and judge would always be in alignment

Lawyer lawbook and judge would always be in alignment. We can find many times or instances where Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are inline in every respect.


BG 15.34 purport
The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down this strongly rooted tree with the weapon of detachment. Thereafter, one must seek that place from which, having gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything began and from whom everything has extended since time immemorial.

It is now clearly stated that the real form of this banyan tree cannot be understood in this material world. Since the root is upwards, the extension of the real tree is at the other end. When entangled with the material expansions of the tree, one cannot see how far the tree extends, nor can one see the beginning of this tree. Yet one has to find out the cause. "I am the son of my father, my father is the son of such-and-such a person, etc." By searching in this way, one comes to Brahmā, who is generated by the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Finally, in this way, when one reaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is the end of research work. One has to search out that origin of this tree, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through the association of persons who are in knowledge of that Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then by understanding one becomes gradually detached from this false reflection of reality, and by knowledge one can cut off the connection and actually become situated in the real tree.
 

SB 3.25.11Devahuti continued: I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet because You are the only person of whom to take shelter. You are the ax which can cut the tree of material existence. I therefore offer my obeisances unto You, who are the greatest of all transcendentalists, and I inquire from You as to the relationship between man and woman and between spirit and matter.







Best Regards
Dinesh

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Association



Our dealings with the materialistic minded people should be as limited as possible.
Because we absorb our consciousness on things around us like a gemstone that absorbs light from outside and stores within.
We automatically start imitating things around us even without our knowledge, thats the nature of the mind. When a person is diseased 
with a highly contagious disease, that person is usually quarantined to prevent the spreading of the disease to those around.

Similarly the pure devotees of the Lord do not take bliss in the association of materially motivated people. 
The pure devotees of the Lord keep themselves aloof from the association of materialists just like, we stay away from the diseased. 

This Sankirtan movement of Lord Caitanya is also very contagious but in a good sense. 
The association of the followers of Lord Caitanya brings all auspiciousness and it doesn't stop with 
one person, the person who got it has to spread, otherwise he can't relish the nectar he is provided
with. 

In this regard we have two types of devotees. Gostanandi (serves the Lord via Preaching the Glories 
of the Lord where ever he goes or where ever the Lord sends him)and Bhajanandi(Bhajanandi serves the Lords abode/dham,
 meditates on the Lord within). Gostanandi is already a Bhajanandi. Most of the devotees in the movement of 
Lord Caitanya are Gostanandis. 

If Srila Prabhupada didn't come to America, I will not be here to write this article, rather would have been
lost elsewhere in easing out the contact of sense objects with the senses predominantly. 

A supporting article, Quotes start here..
" Preaching is the Essence

                His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada

Lord Caitanya wants His followers to preach all over the world:

"Dear Lord, Your personal associates, devotees, wander all over the world to purify even the holy places of pilgrimage. Is not such activity pleasing to those who are actually afraid of material existence?"

There are two kinds of devotees.One is called gosthy –anandi and the other bhajanandi. The word bhajanandi refers to the devotee who dos not move but remains in one place. Such a devotee is always engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. He chants the Mahamantra staught by many acaryas and sometimes goes out for preaching work.

The gosthy-anandi is one  who desires to increase the number of devotees all over the world. He travels all over the world just to purify the world and the people residing in it.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu advised: prithvi ache yata nagaradi gram / sarvatra pracara haibemora nama. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted His followers to move all over the world and preach in every town and village.

In the Chaitanya – sampradaya those who strictly follow the the principles of Lord Chaitanya must travel all over the world to preach the message of Lord Chaitanya, which is the same as preaching the words of Krsna- Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. The more the devotees preach the principles of Krsna katha, the more the people throughout the world will benefit.

Devotees like the great sage Narada who travel all over to preach are called gosti-anandi.Narada Muni is always wandering throughout the universe just to create different types of devotees. Narada even made a hunter a devotee. He also made Dhruve Maharja and Prahlada devotees. Actually all devotees are indebted to the great sage Narada, for he has wandered both in heaven and in hell. A devotee of the Lord is not even afraid of hell. He goes to preach the glories of the Lord everywhere-even in hell- because there is no distinction between heaven and hell for a devotee.

                                           Narayana –parah sarve

                                           Na kutascana bibhyati

                                           Svargapavarga-narakesv

                                           Ap tulyartha- darsinah

"A pure devotee of Narayana is never afraid of going anywhere and everywhere . For him heaven and hell are one and the same." (Bhag. 6.17.28) Such devotees , wandering all over the world, deliver those ho are actually afraid of this material existence.

Bhag. 4.30.37"




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